Electric-railway system.



Patented Dec. l8, I900.

lnvntor. William B. Potter M E N o V- M R S 6A E Y M W l H A a. 2 o 8. W W M H B M E H. (IL w on w T. C m E L E 6 9 0 4 U 6 e 6 M M o. N m

UNITED STATES Finch.

ATENT WILLIAM B. POTTER, OF SOHENEOTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

srEcIncAirIoiv forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,096, dated December 18, 1900.

Application filed October 31, 1900. Serial No. 34,996. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM B. POTTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Railway Systems, (Case No. 1,228,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric-railway systems, and particularly to those systems in which each train contains a plurality of motor-cars, each motor-car being attended by a motorman.

My invention has for its object the provision of improved means for guiding the assistant rnotormen in the operation of their controllers, so that they may be informed of the condition of use of the controller in charge of the chief motorman upon the first car of the train. The assistant motormen are thus enabled to place their controller-handles in positions similar to that occupied by the con-.

troller-handle manipulated by the chief motorman.

I am aware that it has been proposed to provide a train of motor-cars with an indicating or signaling system for this purpose, and I have endeavored in the present invention to simplify the devices heretofore proposed for this purpose, so that not more than two line connections need be used between the cars.

The invention in its preferred embodiment comprises a signal-circuit including an indicating device upon each motor-car contained in the train in addition to the leading motorcar, a switch-arm mechanically connected with the controller handle or leveroperated by the chief motorman being employed for governing the signal-circuit.

I will explain my invention more particularly by reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an embodiment thereof.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing in diagram the connections for a train of three cars. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing in diagram the circuit connections for two connected cars. Fig. 3 is a plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the switch connections in the controller; and Fig. 4 is an elevation of a voltmeter adapted for use in my system.

The motor-cars A B O are each equipped with a controller D at each end for regulating the current supplied to the motor-trucks E. Adjacent to each controller is an indicating device, such as a voltmeter F, connected across ,two leads 1 2, running the length of the car and connected between the cars by a flexible coupling 3.

Secured to each controller-shaft G is a switch-arm H, on which are mounted two contacts I K, insulated from each other and connected by a resistance L. The contact I is connected with the controller-shaft by a wire 4, and the shafts of the two controllers at each end of the car are connected by a wire 5. Branch wires 6 connect the wire 5 with the switch-arm of a rheostat M, from which the current passes by wire 7 to the lead 1.

The contacts on the switch-arm H are arranged to coact with a series of contacts N N N N N N N N which are successively connected with the several cells of an independent source of power, such as a storage battery 0. One terminal of this battery is also connected with the lead 2.

I have provided double contacts on the arm H in order to prevent open-circuiting the battery-circuit while passing from one contact to another. On the voltmeter F between the points indicating the series and parallel positions of the contact-arm H there is a blank space, the contacts being provided on the controller with corresponding battery-cells, so as to make the movement of the voltmeter-needle correspond with the transition movement of the controller between series and parallel positions.

The rheostat M is introduced for the purpose of adjusting the circuits 0 as to compensate for different potentials of the batterycells in case the type of battery is such as to materially decrease in voltage as it becomes exhausted.

The operation of my device is as follows: When the chief motorman turns his controller-handle, the switch-arm H is carried successively over the contacts N N, &c., thus causing the needles of all the voltmeters F on the train to move in synchronism with the movement of the switch-arm. The assistant motormen on the rear cars are therefore enabled to place their controller-handles in the same position as that occupied by the controller in charge of the chief motorman.

My invention has the advantage of using only two flexible connections between adjacent cars, and one of these could often be dispensed with by using the ground for one side of the signaling-circuit. It will be observed that the signaling-circuit is not dependent upon or affected by variations in the main-line potential, but is operative whether the line-current is on or off. The voltmeterneedles move in synchronism with the controller either backward or forward, so that the exact position of the main controller is indicated at all times.

I have described my invention as applied to every car in the train, because it is desirable to equip all the cars in order that any one of them may be used as the head car of a train; but it is evident that in the case of trains which retain the same head car for any length of time the storage battery, the switcharm on the controller, the connections between them, and the rheostats may all be omitted on the trailers, the only signaling equipment necessary for these cars being the leads 1 2 and the indicating devices connected across them.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an electric-railway system, the combination with two or more cars in a train, of separate controllers upon said cars, an indicating system comprising an indicating device adjacent to one or more of said controllers, and means for causing the indicating device or indicating devices to move in synchronism with one of said controllers.

2. In an electric-railway system, the combination with two or more motor-cars in a train, of motor-controllers upon said cars, a switch-arm operating in synchronism with one of said controllers, a source of varying potential controlled by said switch-arm, and an indicating device in circuit with said switch-arm.

3. In an electric-railway system, the combination with two or more motor-cars in a train, of motor-controllers upon said cars, a switch-arm on one of said controllers, a storage battery in circuit with said switch-arm, and a voltmeter on each car in circuit with the battery and switch-arm.

4:. In an electric-railway system, the combination with two or more motor-cars in a train, of motor-controllers upon said cars, a switch-arm on each controller, an independent source of varying potential on each car, and an indicating device in circuit with said source and said switch-arm and responsive to changes in potential.

5. In an electric-railway system, the combination with two or more motor-cars in a train, of motor-controllers upon said cars, a switch-arm on each controller, a battery on each car, separate connections between each cell thereof and the switch-arm, and a voltmeter in circuit with the battery and switcharm.

6. In an electric-railway system, the combination with two or more motor-cars in a train, of motor-controllers upon said cars, a switch-arm on each controller, two insulated contacts on said arm, connected through a resistance, a series of stationary contacts adjacent to said arm, a battery having its cells successively connected with said contacts, and a voltmeter in circuit with said switcharm and one terminal of said battery.

7. In an electric-railway system, the combination with two or more motor-cars in a train, of motor-controllers upon said cars, a switch-arm on each controller, two insulated contacts on said arm connected through a resistance, a series of stationary contacts adjacent to said arm, a battery having its cells successively connected with said contacts, and a voltmeter and rheostat in circuit with said switch-arm and one terminal of said battery.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of October, 1900.

WILLIAM B. POTTER.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, MARGARET E. WOOLLEY. 

